Automatic emergency air-brake for railways.



No. 741,299. PATENTED OGT..13. 1903",

J. P. BIRMINGHAM. AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY AIR BRAKE FOR RAILWAYS APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 27. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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Urvrrnn drains Patented October 13, 1903.

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JOHN P. BIRMINGHAM, OF LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FIF'IHS TO WILLIAM H. PARTLOW, OF LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA, AND EDWVARD J. MCOULLOOH, OF BUCHANAN, VIRGINIA.

AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY AlR BRAKE FOR RAlLWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 741,299, dated October 13, 1903. Application filed February 27, 1903- s ial No. 145,407. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN P. BIRMINGHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lexington, in the county of Rockbridge and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Emergency Air-Brakes for Railways; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- act description of the invention, such as will to enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in emergency-brake-applying apparatus, and comprises more specifically the provision of shoes or suitable members which are held adjacent to the tread of a rail and connected by Valves to the fluid-pressure or train pipe, whereby when a car or locomotive is equipped with my apparatus and in case the wheels leave the track the brake will be automatically applied.

My invention consists, further, in various 1 details of construction and in combinations and arrangements of parts,which will be here-' inafter more fully described and then specifically defined in the appended claims. go My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this application, and in which drawings similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the 5 views, in which- Figure 1 is a cross-section through a portion of a car equipped with my improved safety-brake-applying apparatus. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus as applied to one side of the car.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the lower portion or platform of a car,which is mounted upon a truck B, in which is suitably journaled ashaft on which are mounted the wheels 0, resting upon the tracks. Mounted upon the angled plate E of the truck are the vertically-disposed plates E, and F designates a bar which is bent, as shown in Fig. 2, and hasa cross-piece or shoe H fastened to its free end. Said cross-pieces may be of any suitable width, preferably somewhat wider than the wheel, and are positioned a slight distance above the tread of the rail. Each of said rods F, there being one on each side of the car, is mounted in a'channeled guideway K, carried by the plate E, and a collar N is held, by means of a set-screw N, upon the rod F and may be adjustably held thereon to regulate the downward throw of the cross-piece or shoe H. Pivotally mounted upon each of said plates E is a lever M, which is held to the plate by means of a bolt M,

and said levers M are preferably curved, as

shown, and each is pivotally connected to a link R, one of said links being shown in Fig.

l of the drawings as somewhat longer than the other in order to reach across to a lever M on the opposite side of the car. The outer end of each lever M has an elongated slot m, and a pin m, carried by the rod F, is adapted to have a play in said slot as the lever is tilted by the raising and lowering of the rod F. The inner ends of the links R are pivotally connected at R to a valve-operating lever T, which is secured at T to a valve positioned in the globe-valve chamber J. A suitable branch pipe I communicates with the main fluid-pressure pipe Q, (shown in cross-section in Fig. 1 of the drawings,) and to the free end of the globe-valve chamber the pipes are adapted to be connected, through which the fluid-pressure is communicated to the brakes.

In operation in case the wheels of a car equipped with my apparatus leave the tracks the cross-pieces or shoes H are adapted to strike against the rails D, and in so doing one or the other of the links R will cause the lever T to be thrown in one direction or the other, 0 which will open communication between the main fluid-pressure pipe Q and the opening in the free end of the valve-chamber, which is adapted to be connected with the brake-cylinder, allowing the brakes to be automatically 5 and instantly set,

While I have shown a particular construction of apparatus illustrating my invention, it will be understood that I may make alterations in the detailed construction of the same 10o without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An automatic fluid-pressure brake-applying apparatus comprising, in combination with the truck of a car, a finid-pressure-supply pipe, a lever pivotally mounted upon the truck, a rod mounted to have a vertical play in and guided upon the truck and having a sliding pivotal connection with one end of said lever, the shank portion of said rod being bent and having a cross-piece at its end adapted to be positioned adjacent to a rail of a railway, the other end of said pivotal lever having link connection with a Valve-operating lever connected to said pipe, as set forth.

2. An automatic fluid-pressure brake-applying apparatus comprising in combination with the truck of a car, a vertically-disposed plate secured thereto, a lever pivotally mounted upon said plate, a rod having a forked end adapted to receive one end of said lever, a pin carried by the arms of the forked end of said rod and passing through an elongated slot in the end of the lever, an apertured boss on said plate through which said rod is guided, an adjustable collar secured to the rod and adapted to contact with the upper end of said'boss, a shoe on one end of said rod adapted to be held adjacent to a rail of a railway, and pivotal link connections between said lever and the valve in said pipe, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN P. BIRMINGHAM. Witnesses:

A. L. HOUGH, FRANKLIN I-I. HOUGH. 

